Catch Me Falling (4 page)

He shrugged. “It’s business.”

She sighed.

He couldn’t help a slight tinge of guilt at her sigh. All she wanted was for him to be happy, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t let go of what had happened so long ago and let someone in. It was too dangerous. He could snap at any time, like his father did. The last thing he wanted to do was love someone and then destroy them. “Have you met anyone?” he asked, a tease in his voice.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re bad at changing the topic, Isaac.”

He smiled. “Only because you don’t let me get away with it.”

“It’s bad if you’re allowed to get away with everything.” Ellie tsked and then started doing the dishes. He finished his dinner, stood, and helped. She was getting older. It wasn’t fair for her to do everything. They were quiet, falling into something of a routine. He washed, she stacked in the drying rack.

“I just want you to be happy,” Ellie said, her voice soft, sad.

He dried his hands off, then hugged her. “Don’t worry about me.”

She snorted in a most ungrandmotherly way, then patted him on the shoulder, even though she had to stand on her tip-toes to do so. “I worry about you, regardless.”

He smiled. He loved her, he did. And it scared him, even though she was just a grandmother to him. “Take the rest of the night off,” he told her. “I can clean up here.”

She studied him for a moment, her eyes searching his. “I’ll go watch some soaps. You know where to find me, dearie.”

He nodded, then she patted him on the shoulder one last time before she headed out of the kitchen. There wasn’t that much more to do, not really. He wasn’t completely useless when it came to domestic chores. He just hoped she didn’t expect him to do the laundry.

Was he happy? He was content. His life wasn’t too bad. He had sex when he wanted to, he was good at his job. He had money. He had everything he wanted, which was far more than he deserved.

Where did Alexa fit into that? He wanted her, couldn’t help but think about the next time he could bury himself inside of her tightness, hear her moan as he fucked her, hear her cry out as she came. But did it go beyond that? Could it go beyond that?

He was already breaking his rules. That was bad.

But he didn’t care.

I
t was Thursday
, and the week was almost over. Which was good, because between Isaac and her court commitments, Alexa was stretched to her limits. Court had ended up cancelled, so she had detoured to the phone shop, got her number changed. Stopped and renewed her birth control prescription. She was still dressed in one of her favorite court outfits. No dress, not in court, but a well-tailored, pinstripe pants suit. While it wasn’t as easy as a skirt to take off, she did look hot.

She glanced at the clock. Isaac was due in an hour, maybe less. Heat surged through her at the thought of what they had done last time. What they had done to her desk. No wonder he got so many women. Would they do it again? He had a reputation as one-and-done, so maybe they were done with that part of their working relationship.

She couldn’t deny that she would miss it.

She pulled out the file that she wanted him to look at. It wasn't necessarily a new one, or one she was even sure was a good litigation choice. A new email flashed on her screen and she sighed, opened it.

T
o
: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Alexa,

I need the old files cleared by this Tuesday, 8/9, instead of 8/23.

Thanks,

Claire

O
f course
she wanted them two weeks early. Alexa glared at the screen as if it would change anything. It wouldn’t. She typed back a quick ‘of course’ then tugged aggressively on a strand of her hair. Hopefully Isaac had free time at the weekend. All of the old cases needed a final medical clearance before they could be officially filed away.

“What the fuck, Claire,” she muttered at her computer, closing the email and opening up the computer folder that had the list of cases.

“Should I be glad that wasn’t directed at me?”

She looked up and saw Isaac standing in the doorframe, leaning against the side of the door. He was back in scrubs, but they were clean this time, not wrinkled. Before a shift, then. “My boss.”

He chuckled, came inside and settled into the chair opposite her.

Heat coiled low in her stomach. She had sat on him, kissed him. Almost screwed him there. Would she ever be able to look at the chair, at her desk, without thinking of him?

“You look good.” He looked her up and down, heat in his eyes.

She swallowed, her throat dry. “Thanks.” Her nipples were hard in her bra, and she could feel herself starting to get wet.
This is work time,
she reminded herself.
Not sex time
. “I have the file I wanted you to look over.” She pushed the file over to his side of the desk.

“Of course.” He took the file and flipped it open, skimming it.

She tried not to stare at him as he read, tried not to think about him taking her over the desk. Was she really that insatiable, that needy? Maybe they could give the chair another go. It wasn’t that comfortable, not really, but it would work.

“Like what you see?” He raised an eyebrow, looking up from the file and back at her.

Her cheeks heated up. “Yes.” She very much did.

“What are you doing this weekend?” Isaac closed the file and leaned forward, his gaze intent on hers.

Her stomach did a somersault. “Working.” She glanced at her computer, and then back at him. “And you’ll hopefully be working with me.”

He raised both of his eyebrows this time. “’Working’?” he asked, making air quotes. His lips curved into a wicked grin.

She tossed a paperclip at him. “Actually working!” she huffed.

He chuckled. “Why do you need me?”

That was a very good question. She glanced at her computer. “My boss pushed up the deadline on clearing some old case files. That’s what I need your help with.”

“Clearing case files?” Isaac’s face was professional, no hint of the heat that had been simmering there before.

“Make sure they’ve been cleared. My consultant normally double-checks that all medical leads have been followed. Kind of a second pair of medical eyes on the older cases before they’re officially closed.” She fiddled with a pen, tilting it back and forth.

“Are they solely paper records?” Isaac looked at her filing cabinet.

She shook her head. “I have computer copies of all of them.”

“I have access to the hospital server at my lake house.”

“Lake house?” She stared at him, baffled.

“I’ll help you with your files on one condition.”

“It is technically part of your job description,” she pointed out.

His lips curved into his wicked smile. “Is letting me fuck you on your desk part of your job description?” Isaac’s voice was low, quiet enough that it wouldn’t carry out of the open door.

She looked away, her cheeks turning red. “No.”

“Then we can be flexible,” he said cheerfully, leaning back in his chair. “Come with me to my lake house on Saturday. We can work, and most importantly –” His eyes were on hers, and the heat in them made her shiver. “And you have to take at least three hours off to have some fun.”

She blinked. Was he speaking English?

“I remember you mentioned enjoying time on the water.” His gaze was dark, intense. “There’s a few weeks of summer left. I could teach you how to wakeboard.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to figure out what he wanted. Wakeboarding? Sex? Apparently he wasn’t done with her. Did any of that matter, really? She wanted to spend more time with him. Wanted to be close to him, have him inside of her, against her. She did miss the water, miss the freedom and exhilaration that came from it being her out on the water behind a speeding boat. “I've never wakeboarded before,” she said slowly.

“I’m a good teacher.” He winked.

“I’ll try to be a good student.” There were butterflies in her stomach. She knew what he was promising, and it wasn’t wakeboarding.

“I bet you will.” His eyes were intent on hers, and suddenly her suit felt warm, too warm. Heat coiled between her legs and it was all she could do to not jump him right then and there. Did they have to wait until Saturday? Could she just have him now?

“You can’t work all the time, Alexa Matthews.”

She raised her eyebrows, her heart pounding in her chest. “Is that what we’re doing?”

He crooked a finger at her, shifted in his chair so his legs were spread slightly. “Come here.”

She glanced at the door. Had Jill heard any of that? She doubted it. Standing, she closed and locked the door before she settled on his lap. It was naughty, but it sent a thrill through her. She liked it, she liked him. “Now what?”

“Come to my place. Seven a.m. I’ll drive.” He cocked his head to the side. “Got a problem with that?”

She cupped his face with a hand. He had shaved that morning, his face was smooth. “Saturday, seven a.m.” Then she kissed him, and they forgot about work or Saturday for a while.

F
riday
. It was Friday. She was going to Isaac’s tomorrow and it had come far faster than she had anticipated. She had everything she needed, all the computer files updated, her logon details checked, but she still didn’t feel ready. Court had served as a good distraction, especially since she was defending a young mother whose case had been botched by a lazy obstetrician. It wasn’t one of her harder cases – it was cut and dry, in terms of evidence – but since the OB had refused to settle, it had been dragged through court in a process that was hard on everyone.

Leaving her office, she stepped around the partition and leaned back against it, looking at Jill. “Good morning.” Alexa walked forward, pulling up a chair and settling opposite Jill at her desk.

“It’s almost noon,” Jill said, her gaze on her work. Then she lifted her head and looked at Alexa. “You look happy.”

Self-conscious, Alexa looked at herself. Did she? She couldn't tell.

“I don't see you one morning, and then you're all like this. You've got a glow to you.” Jill narrowed her eyes. “Are you pregnant?”

Alexa rolled her eyes. “Stop watching soap operas.”

“They’re good.” Jill grinned, then leaned back in her chair. “What’s up?”

Alexa didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to admit to it, but after Damien, she also wasn’t going anywhere with a man she didn’t know without someone knowing where she was. And Jill was the only one she trusted. “I’m going to Isaac’s lake house tomorrow,” she said. “For work.”

“Are you sleeping there?” Jill raised her eyebrows.

“No, just for the day.”

“What might happen on this ‘day trip’?” Jill asked, emphasizing the last two words with air quotes.

She wasn’t talking about work, that was for sure. “Absolutely nothing.” Alexa said firmly. At least nothing she would admit to.

“I didn't mean sex,” Jill said with a roll of her eyes. “I meant – why are you taking a day trip in the first place?”

“I need him to help me clear the case files.” Alexa sighed, twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “Claire made it a rush job.”

“So all you’re doing is working?”

Sigh. “And he’s going to teach me to wakeboard.”

Jill waggled her eyebrows. “I bet that’s not all he’ll teach you.”

Alexa very deliberately chuckled, pretended heat hadn’t just flooded her body at the thought of that. “It was his idea.”

“I bet it was.”

“We're just colleagues.”

“Mhm.” Jill nodded, but the motion was too serious, almost comical.

“You don't believe me.” Alexa frowned. “Is it that hard to believe?”

Jill’s faint smile shifted into a sadder expression. “You're not exactly known for your collegial relationships with men.”

Well, that was true. Friendships in general weren’t her thing. Relationships were even worse. “Well, I promise you, we're just colleagues. Probably not even friends.” That had sex. Hot, mind-consuming sex. That they would probably have at least three times at his lake house.

“We'll see how that goes after this weekend,” Jill said, her voice matter-of-fact.

Alexa didn’t say anything in return because she didn’t know what to say. “Here’s his number and the address. If I don’t text you that I’m home by seven a.m. on Sunday, call me. If I don't answer after three tries, call the cops.”

Jill studied her quietly, then took the piece of paper. “You’re serious?”

Alexa looked away. Her palms were starting to sweat, and she wiped them on her suit. “Yeah.”

“Got it.”

“What are your plans for tomorrow?” Alexa waggled her eyebrows.

“Got a date.” Jill winked.

Alexa grinned. “Anyone I know?”

Jill chuckled. “No.”

Alexa stood, putting the chair back where it was. “Let me know how it goes?”

“Of course.” Jill tossed a mock-salute her way. “See you later.”

Alexa smiled at her, grateful for her friendship. “See you later.”

A
lexa drove
to the address that Isaac had given her, looking suspiciously at everything around her. He lived in a nice part of the neighborhood. Not glitzy, but rich. Not as bad as some of the other doctors she had known. A nice little one story house. Nothing extravagant, just bachelor friendly. It was light blue, nondescript, with a plain white front door. If she hadn’t known he lived there, she wouldn’t have guessed it was his house. For some reason she had expected something a lot more, well, flashy. Playboy, rich doctor, with a nondescript house? Not quite.

It was early, the sun barely peeking over the horizon, and she yawned. Seven a.m. wasn’t that bad, not really, but she hadn’t slept well again. All she could think about was him, seeing him again. Screwing him again.

She got out of the car, headed up to his door and knocked on it.

F
or early August
the weather was quite nice; a little bit chilly but not bad enough that Alexa was regretting dressing in just a shirt and jeans. Button down shirt, of course, so she could control how much he saw. Her swimsuit, a plain black one piece, was in one of her bags. There was no way she was ready to show herself to Isaac. If he wanted her clothes off, it would have to be in the dark. She liked keeping her secret.

The door swung open and Isaac was standing there, a small duffel bag held in his hand. He was every woman’s wet dream, even dressed in swim trunks, sandals, and a long-sleeved shirt that hugged his muscular body. She could see the contours and dips of his muscles. His abs were ridiculous. She wanted to lick them, taste them.

Maybe she would get the chance this weekend.

“Are you going to stare or are we going to go?” He grinned at her.

She blushed. Whoops.

“Where are your bags?” He stepped out of the house, closing and locking it behind him.

“In my car. Here, I’ll get them.”

“No.”

She stopped a few steps away, frowned at him. “What?”

“I’ll carry them.”

She scowled. “I’m not an invalid.”

There was that smile. “No, you’re not.” Then he stepped past her, standing expectantly beside her car.

She kept her scowl on principle, but his words sent a little thrill of pleasure through her. She shouldn’t like him taking control, not really. She could take care of herself. She was a grown adult. But at the same time, he respected her. He wanted to look out for her. It was oddly comforting, for all it made her feel discombobulated.

She unlocked her car and handed him the two small bags in the back. One was a change of clothes and her swim suit, one was her work stuff that they would need. There was fun to be had, oh God there was, but work had to be done first. Regretfully.

He tucked the bags in the trunk of his car. It was a sleek four-door Mercedes. Rich-looking, but not pretentious. Mostly. “Get in,” he said, extending a key fob in the car’s direction. It unlocked, then turned on.

She stared at him.

He smiled his wicked smile. “I enjoy some luxuries.”

She glanced at his house, at his car. Thought of his lake house. He certainly did.

He was quiet as he backed the car out of the driveway, got it on the road.

She turned on the radio and switched it to something she liked, a light rock station. If he didn’t like it, he could tell her. “You often get up this early?” she asked, stifling another yawn.

He chuckled. “With shift work I get up at a lot of different times.”

Right, right. Doctors in the ER sometimes worked rotating shifts. It was after seven, why wasn’t her brain working yet?

“You work a nine to five, don't you?”

She shook her head, because that wasn't true, not really. “My hours are a lot more varying than that.”

“But you work during the daytime?”

“Yes.” She was quiet for a moment, her gaze on the road in front of her. “What got you into wakeboarding?” Work was boring, or at least more boring than he was. She wanted to know more about him. Why did he have a house on the lake? Did he just have a lot of money and wanted another place to stay, or was there something more?

“My family used to go to the lake a lot,” he said, his gaze focused on the road. “It was one of the few things we did as a family, going to the lake and playing on the water.”

“And the house?”

“It was my grandparents’.” He glanced at her, then back ahead. “I inherited it from them when they died.”

She made an ‘oh’ face, but didn’t say it. That felt too personal to pry into. “I've only been to a lake three times,” she said instead.

“I thought you did water sports.”

“It might have been a while ago.” Alexa was sheepish.

“You don't know how to swim?” He raised his eyebrows.

“I can swim,” Alexa said defensively. “You don’t need to go to a lake to swim.”

“Pools don’t have critters in them.”

Alexa scoffed. “There’s nothing that can eat you in a lake, right?”

He chuckled. “Yes.”

“Wait, really?” She looked at him, alarm coursing through her veins. That was what she got for growing up far away from most bodies of water. She had only been in Portland for a few years, how was she supposed to know what happened in lakes?

“No.”

She frowned at him, her cheeks heating up. Affection bubbled up in her and she wasn’t sure what to think. “You’re teasing me.”

“Yes.” He smiled at her, but it wasn’t his wicked smile, it was something different.

“How often do you come here?” she asked, her gaze drifting out the window. The trees were tall, evergreen, and gorgeous. Too bad there wasn’t any snow.

“I try and get here every other week, if I can,” he said absently, turning down another road. They were on dark country roads now, off the main path. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

She turned to look at him so fast she feared she’d gotten whiplash. “What?”

“It’s a question.” He seemed amused by her surprise.

“No, I don’t.” She cleared her throat. “You?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“That wasn’t…” She huffed.

He chuckled.

“Do you have a girlfriend, then?” She stared straight out the window in front of her, arms crossed. Her cheeks were red. Why was she embarrassed? It was a standard question. Or something.

“No, no girlfriend.” His face curved into a wicked smile. “My interests lie elsewhere.” He looked at her and winked.

“Oh.” She looked out the window, trying to hide her blush. She felt warm all over, and her stomach flipped. She wasn’t nervous, she couldn’t be nervous. She was – what was she? It was happiness. That wasn’t good. “Are we almost there?”

“Another forty five minutes or so.”

“Okay.” She wasn’t sure what else to say.

“What’s your favorite music?” The question seemed to come out of nowhere.

She glanced at him, startled. “I like pop.” It was cheesy, but she did.

“Color?”

“Purple.”

“Animal?”

“Dog. You?” She cut him off before he could ask another question.

“I also like dogs. Where did you go to school?”

By the time they pulled into the driveway of his lake house, they had played far more than twenty questions. There was a smile on her face, a warmth throughout her body. She was relaxed, with him. More relaxed than she had ever been with anyone else.

I
saac parked
and got out of the car, stopping to watch her. She was sexy even in jeans and a blouse. She was graceful, too. It helped that she was wearing flats. No stilettos, no danger of falling over.

Then her stomach grumbled and her cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”

He closed the door and popped the trunk, walking around to the back. “I’m hungry, too.” She stood next to him and he looked at her. She looked like she wanted to grab the bags, but didn’t dare. He picked up her two bags, plus the one he brought, and then leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Breakfast is ready inside.”

Her cheeks were still light pink. Embarrassment, or pleasure? “What?”

“I have a housekeeper who lives here,” he said. Ellie was much more than that, but it was a simple way to say it. “Follow me.” Bags in hand, he led the way up the winding cobblestone path.

“A housekeeper?” She seemed to be talking to herself, rather than to him.

“She cooks, cleans, and keeps this place from burning down when I try and take care of it.” He turned and caught her gaze, smiling his wicked smile.

“So you don’t cook, then.”

“Unless you want burned food, no.” They were almost to the door and he could see the kitchen were lights on. Ellie had warmed the place up, then. “Is that a problem?”

“How do you live on your own, if you can’t cook?” She seemed baffled by it.

“Takeout. And Ellie makes a lot of leftovers.” He chuckled, pushed the door open with his elbow. “I’ll show you breakfast.”

Once they were inside, her expression shifted to barely concealed delight. She could smell the food, and so could her stomach. It rumbled again, and she looked chagrined. “Sorry. It smells really good.”

Isaac inhaled deeply, a small smile coming to his face. “She’s a good cook.” Putting down the bags just inside the door, he led her to the kitchen.

“Smells like it.” There was a grin on her face, a hungry anticipation. Not for sex, not at the moment.

She looked cute. Relaxed. Far different than she did in business attire or the slinky dresses. He would kiss her smile off her face, let her get lost in her own pleasure. She was most open then.

Once they were in the kitchen he pulled down a pair of plates and handed one to her. “Utensils are in that drawer,” he said, nodding towards the second drawer to the right.

“Where’s your housekeeper?” Alexa asked, glancing around as if she might materialize out of the woodwork.

Maybe she would. Ellie was practically magic, some days. “She lives down the hall. I try not to disturb her.”

“How do you know her?” Alexa asked, spearing pancakes, eggs, and sausages onto her plate.

Isaac stood beside her, loading up food for himself. He was starving, and Ellie’s food was delicious. “She worked with my grandparents,” he said, detouring to pour them both some water. No alcohol, not until after wakeboarding. “They died when I was young.”

“I’m sorry.” Alexa reached out, touched his arm.

He didn’t recoil away, but it was close. Instead he smiled his fake smile at her, then led her to a small kitchen nook. It had a small, two-seat table, tucked into a corner so they could see out of the windows and out on the lake. The sun was rising, its rays casting light over the lake. He dimmed the blinds so the glare wouldn’t bother their eyes.

“This is delicious,” she said, biting into the pancakes. Her face was animated, the way her delight in the food showed up on her face. Was she like that in court, every little thing she thought or felt showing up on her face? She was easy to be around. She relaxed him. “I’m glad you like them.”

“Have you taught people how to wakeboard before?”

“Yes.” He smiled faintly. “A few.”

There. She shifted, her gaze moving to the pancakes and away from him. Her face slackened slightly, as if she was disappointed. She was jealous, he would put money on it. “Mostly a couple locals from the lake. Men aren’t the easiest to teach.”

Her relaxation was easy to see. She was jealous.

“Do you have a place set up to work?” she asked, taking a bite of the scrambled eggs with an appreciative noise.

He locked his eyes with hers, his lips curving into a wicked grin. “I do.” Both for work, and… for work. She would love the view from his office.

She bit her lip but didn’t look away. Instead she took a deep breath, her eyes softening. “This is technically a conflict of interest,” she said, her gaze steady. “Fraternizing outside of the appropriate work conditions. People could say that I got you to say cases were good just because we're –” She stopped, searching for the word.

He took a bite of pancake, swallowed. He would ignore that last bit. “First of all,” he said, his voice deliberate. “They could only argue that if you took me to court and asked me to testify to your cases.”

She looked at him, frowning. He was right and she knew it. “It’s still iffy.”

“Everything in life is iffy, Alexa.” For a moment he was serious. Life itself was iffy. “You could die in the blink of an eye. Everything you love could be taken from you.” Then he quirked his lips up into his charming smile, but there was a sadness to it, one he couldn’t hide. “So you enjoy what time you have.”

She looked at him, searching his eyes. Thinking about what he said.

It took all he had to meet her eyes. That was far more than he had shared with anyone, and sitting there, at the breakfast table, with a woman he had already had sex with twice – it felt more intimate than it should have. But it seemed to cement something for her. There was a resolve in her expression that he hadn’t seen before.

She looked at him, calmly, over a stack of pancakes. “We’ll borrow your office chair this time.”

He raised his eyebrows, then curved his lips into a wicked grin. “It’s much more comfortable than yours.”

“Good.”

When they finished eating, he pushed his chair back from the table and stood, picking up her dishes and his. His fingers skimmed hers, and he could feel the electricity leaping from her skin to his. He was half-hard in his jeans. “I’ll put these in the sink. We can wash them later.”

“What about the leftovers?” Alexa looked at the dishes of food still on the counter.

“Ellie will package up the leftovers and leave the dishes for us.”

“Good.” She stood there, looking at him. “There’s something else I want to do right now.”

He lifted an eyebrow, pretended to be confused. “What’s that?”

Walking in a confident strut, she moved until she stood right in front of him. Lifting herself on her tiptoes, she put her hands on his chest to steady her. Put her mouth right next to his ear. “I want to go upstairs and ride you until you come screaming my name.”